Hydraulic turbine drive system



May 15, 1962 F. J. BORDT HYDRAULIC TURBINE DRIVE SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1960 w T m m D R I mm. J..A/ R w? fil FN ATTORNEYS:

y 1962 F. J. BORDT 3,034,303

HYDRAULIC TURBINE DRIVE SYSTEM Filed March 9, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. FREDERICK J. BORDT $01M BY ZZ: 1%

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United States Patent 3,034,303 HYDRAULIC TURBINE DRIVE SYSTEM Frederick J. Bordt, Averill Park, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Filed Mar. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 13,972 2 Claims. (Cl. 60-402) This invention relates to systems for applying to a rotational member a driving torque which variesfrom a maximum value in one direction to a maximum value in the opposite direction. While this drive system was developed for actuating the traversing and elevating mechanisms of a rifle, it has general utility wherever a small compact device is required to respond to a constant head or hydraulic pressure for varying the rotational speed and direction of a driven element.

In the operation of a 90 gun, for example, it is desirable that its elevating and traversing mechanisms be so operated as to track a sonic plane at a range 500 yards, to track at 1000 yards an object moving at five miles per hour, and to slew from one position to another in five seconds. This mode of operation involves accelerations higher than those possible with the drive systems heretofore available. In accordance with the present invention, these high accelerations are achieved by a low inertia hydraulic system including two light Weight turbines arranged on a Single shaft to be driven in opposite directions. The flow of the turbine operating liquid is maintained constant and is so controlled that it is proportioned between the turbine wheels at any desired division of flow.

The invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing indicating the relation between the various parts of the system,

FIG. '2 is a sectional view illustrating the turbines and their control elements,

FIGS. 3 and 4 show certain details of the turbines and their controls, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate details of the valve by which the division of the operating fluid between the turbines is eifected.

The schematic drawing of FIG. 1 illustrates two turbine wheels 10 and 11 which are arranged on a shaft 12 to be driven in opposite directions as indicated by the opposite contour of their buckets. Liquid for driving these wheels is supplied from a tank 13 through a strainer 14, a pipe 15, a pump 16 and a pipe 17 to a distributor 18. From the distributor 18, liquid is supplied through pipes 19, 20 and 21 to the inlets of the wheel 10 and through 22, 23 and 24 to the inlets of the wheel 11. This liquid is returned fi'om the Wheels 10 and 11 to the tank 13 which may include means (not shown) for cooling the liquid. In the operation of this system, a standard SAESW oil was found to be a satisfactory operating liquid.

The relation of the wheels 10 and 11 and the shaft 12 to other elements of the system is indicated in FIG. 2. wherein turbines 25 and 26 are shown as mounted back to back with the shaft 12 extending through nozzle back up plates 27 and 28. Fixed to the plates 27 and 28 by bolts or other suitable means (not shown) are nozzle plates 29 and 30. Between the plates 27 and 29 is a cut out space Within which are located a valve member 31 and a pinion 32 which is geared to a rack at the top of this valve member. Similarly there are mounted between the plates 28 and 30 a valve member 33 and a pinion 34.

A pinion 35, fixed to a shaft 36, together with the pinions 32 and 34, is journaled in the plate 26 for rotation by a handle 37. Through a main control gear 38, rotatable about the shaft 12, the pinion 35 is effective to control the positions of two other valves of the turbine 25 and two other valves of the turbine 26. From what has been said, it can be seen that the valve member 31 can be moved circumferentially by the pinion 32 to cover more or less of the circumferential slot 39 in which the nozzles are located. The same is true of the other valves of the device.

The arrangement of these valves, the pinions by which they are positioned and their relation to the nozzles is indicated more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4 which illustrate the details of the turbine 26.

This turbine has three inlets 4U, 41 and 42 which are connected with the input tubes 22, 23 and 24 respectively (see FIG. 1). From the inlet 42, operating liquid passes into a cavity 43 formed between the plates 28 and 30 and the gap between the ends of the movable valve members 44 and 45. The cavity thus formed is open to the nozzles 46 to an extent dependent on the position of the valve member 44, this position being determined by rotation of a pinion 47 in the same Way that the opening to Sim ilar nozzles is effected by rotation of pinions 34 and 48. As previously indicated, all six pinions of the two turbines are coupled together through the main gear 38 so that a constant flow of operating liquid to the turbines is maintained, the operative areas of the nozzles of one turbine being increased as the other is decreased and vice versa.

It should be noted that the turbine wheels 10 and 11 are of the type designed for re-entry flow. They have fifty buckets which are 72 apart on a six inch diameter base circle. Their chord distance is 0.3768" and the bucket depth is one'tenth inch with a one-half inch radius. If no provision is made for re-entry flow, the three movable valve members of each turbine may be mechanically inwill be completeaceleration previously mentioned. The maintenance of a constant flow obviously provides a constant which renders the operation of the system more accurate than it could be with cyclic variations in the flow. While each turbine has been shown as having three inlets, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the number of these inlets may be varied without surrendering the advantages of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination of a pair of turbines mounted on the same shaft for rotation in opposite directions,

.said turbines each including means forming a cavity between aninlet and a plurality of nozzles and each including a valve member movable into said cavity to vary the number of said nozzles exposed to said inlet,

separate gear mechanisms each connected to a different one of said valve members, and

means for driving said gear mechanisms simultaneously to increase the exposed nozzle area of one of said turbines and to decrease the exposed nozzle area of the other of said turbines whereby the flow of operating liquid is maintained constant.

said turbines each including means forming a. cavity between aniinlet and a plurality of nozzles and each including a valve member .movableinto said cavity .tovarythe' number of said nozzles exposed to said inlet, l

separate gear meehanismsfleach connected to a ditfer- .entone of said valve members, 7 means for driving said gear mechanisms simultaneous- 1y ,to increase theexposed nozzle area of one of said turbines and to decrease the exposed nozzle area of I the other ofsaid turbines whereby the flow of operating liquid is maintained constant,

and a Hat head pump supply system connected to said inlets.

v 5 References Oited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Goede et a1 Feb. 16, Taylor Feb. 16, Robinson Oct. 22, Huwiler' Oct. 2.3, Warner et a1. Apr. 9, Meyer June 24, Pollard et a1. Ian. 10, Hu'ber Sept. 22, Huber Aug. 21,

FOREIGN PATENTS France May 18, Germany May 20, 

